Algebra II must be a grad requirement

Updated 5:02 pm, Monday, January 6, 2014

David G. Hinojosa is the Southwest regional counsel for the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund, or MALDEF, the nation's premier Latino civil rights law firm.

David G. Hinojosa is the Southwest regional counsel for the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund, or MALDEF, the nation's premier Latino civil rights law firm.

Photo: File Photo, San Antonio Express-News

Algebra II must be a grad requirement

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Parent-teacher associations have served an important role in Texas public schools for over 100 years, raising funds, advocating for the “well-being of every child” and connecting children and parents to teachers and administrators. So why is the Texas PTA calling on members to support lower expectations by not requiring high school graduates to complete Algebra II?

Beginning next year, every ninth-grade student must select one of five endorsement tracks: STEM, business and industry, public services, arts and humanities, or a multidisciplinary track. The Texas State Board of Education will decide the course requirements for the Legislature's newly adopted graduation tracks under House Bill 5. The big question for the SBOE is: Will Algebra II be required in each endorsement?

It is a highly contentious battle, with business, civil rights, education advocacy and higher education groups supporting the inclusion of Algebra II for all students. On the other side is the “career and technology” group, along with a select group of school districts and state representatives championing “flexibility.”

And now the Texas PTA?

Not known for engaging in hotly contested matters, the Texas PTA recently emailed a petition calling on members to encourage the SBOE not to require Algebra II in each endorsement but to support “flexible choices” (code language for lower expectations and tracking).

It seems unclear how requiring Algebra II has a significant impact on flexibility. It seems even more unclear why the PTA would fight for lower expectations. After all, since 2007, Algebra II has been part of Texas's default graduation plan for more than 80 percent of all graduates.

Prominent civil rights groups, including the Texas Latino Education Coalition, took a firm stand against the notion that some students were not “college material.” They pushed back against softening the high school default curriculum, knowing that schools would likely track minority and low-income students into less rigorous plans. And because HB 5 made Algebra II a required course for automatic college admission through the Top Ten Percent Plan, they wanted to ensure doors remained open for as many students as possible — no matter the endorsement the student chooses. Higher education and business communities joined TLEC, touting the link of Algebra II to college readiness and to developing an ever-advancing global economic workforce.

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Some have criticized the Texas PTA for being removed from the communities it purportedly serves. Some TLEC members are working closely with local PTAs in heavily Latino and low-income areas, refusing to settle for policies that undermine the chances of their kids to succeed in college and life. Their pleas have been largely ignored by the Texas PTA.

Requiring Algebra II for all Texas graduates is in their best interest. TLEC calls on local PTAs to demand that the statewide organization reverse its position supporting lower expectations.